Adjectives
Describe and compare: adjective position, order, forms and degree at a glance.
Position and agreement
Adjectives describe nouns. They usually come before a noun or after a linking verb and do not change for plural nouns.
| Form / use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Before a noun | adjective + noun | a quiet room · two quiet rooms |
| After a linking verb | be / seem / look / feel + adjective | The room is quiet. · You look tired. |
| After an indefinite pronoun | something / anything / nothing + adjective | something interesting · nothing new |
| No plural ending | Keep the adjective unchanged | beautiful houses (not beautifuls houses) |
Adjective order
When adjectives come together, they usually follow this order. In everyday use, two or three adjectives are normally enough.
| Form / use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Typical order | Opinion → size → age → shape → colour → origin → material → purpose → noun | a lovely small old house |
| Opinion + description | opinion before factual qualities | a beautiful red dress |
| Size + colour + material | size before colour; material near the noun | a large black leather bag |
| Origin + material | origin before material | an Italian wooden chair |
Comparatives
Compare two people or things. Use than when naming the second person or thing.
| Form / use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Most one-syllable adjectives | adjective + -er (+ than) | small → smaller · This room is smaller than mine. |
| Ending in -e | Add -r | nice → nicer |
| Short vowel + consonant | Double the final consonant, then add -er | big → bigger · hot → hotter |
| Consonant + -y | Change -y to -ier | happy → happier · busy → busier |
| Most longer adjectives | more + adjective | more comfortable · more interesting |
| Lower degree | less + adjective | less expensive than the hotel |
| Some two-syllable adjectives | Both forms are possible | cleverer / more clever |
Superlatives
Identify the highest or lowest degree within a group. Usually use the before the adjective, or a possessive such as my.
| Form / use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Most one-syllable adjectives | the + adjective + -est | the smallest room |
| Ending in -e | Add -st | nice → the nicest |
| Short vowel + consonant | Double the final consonant, then add -est | big → the biggest |
| Consonant + -y | Change -y to -iest | happy → the happiest |
| Most longer adjectives | the most + adjective | the most comfortable room |
| Lowest degree | the least + adjective | the least expensive option |
| With a possessive | possessive + superlative (no the) | my oldest friend |
Irregular comparisons
These common adjectives do not follow the usual -er and -est patterns.
| Form / use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| good | better → best | a good idea · a better idea · the best idea |
| bad | worse → worst | bad weather · worse weather · the worst weather |
| far | farther/further → farthest/furthest | a further distance · the farthest point |
Equal, different and stronger
Use as … as for equality. Add modifiers to show how large a difference is.
| Form / use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Equal | as + adjective + as | This room is as big as yours. |
| Not equal | not as + adjective + as | This room is not as big as yours. |
| Large difference | much / far / a lot + comparative | This room is much bigger. |
| Small difference | a little / a bit + comparative | This room is a little bigger. |
| Increasing degree | comparative + and + comparative | colder and colder · more and more expensive |
-ed and -ing adjectives
For common feeling adjectives, -ed describes the experience and -ing describes what causes it. People as well as things can be interesting or boring.
| Form / use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bored / boring | Feeling / cause | I am bored. · The film is boring. |
| interested / interesting | Feeling / cause | She is interested. · The story is interesting. |
| excited / exciting | Feeling / cause | We are excited. · The trip is exciting. |
| tired / tiring | Feeling / cause | I am tired. · The journey was tiring. |
Degree: very, too and enough
Very intensifies a quality, too means more than wanted or possible, and enough means sufficient.
| Form / use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| very + adjective | A high degree | The room is very small. |
| too + adjective (+ to + verb) | More than is suitable | The bag is too heavy to carry. |
| adjective + enough (+ to + verb) | Sufficient degree | The room is large enough for us. |
| not + adjective + enough | Insufficient degree | The water is not warm enough. |
| really / absolutely + strong adjective | Intensify a strong meaning | really beautiful · absolutely exhausted |